Yes my friends, it is the dead of summer and I’m talking soup. I know it’s hard to believe right now, but in just a few short months we will be welcoming fall. Windows that have been shut against the summer’s brutal heat will be thrown open to let in a bit of autumnal cool. Shorts, tank tops, and flip flops will be traded for turtlenecks, wool trousers, and boots. I even know people who change their home decor accessories…curtains, pillows, blankets, and linens…from summer to fall. I know them, but I’m not one of them.
Just as you need to trade your summer gear for your fall wardrobe, you also need to dust off the fall recipes that have been relegated to the back of the recipe box over the summer. Personally, I like this soup anytime of year but it’s definitely got a fall vibe to it. If you’re reading this in Australia, then now is the perfect time to make this. And if you’re not, you could make this now and pretend that the leaves have begun to change color and that your thoughts will soon turn to shoveling snow or you could wait until the calendar has flipped a few more pages into the year. Either way, I highly recommend you make this soup. It’s from the folks at Fine Cooking and it is indeed some fine cooking…regardless of whether the air conditioner is running at full steam or the fireplace is lit.
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup
Adapted from Fine Cooking
BAH Note: This recipe assumes that you don’t have a stash of those braised onions in your fridge or freezer. Because if you did, I’m sure you would substitute a half cup or so of those for the sliced onion called for. You would, wouldn’t you?
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 2 cans (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
Heat the oil in a dutch oven or stock pot set over medium heat. Add the onions and cook about 5 to 10 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Add the coriander, cumin, and a pinch of kosher salt and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, black beans, and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are soft. Skim any foam that may accumulate.
Set aside 1 to 2 cups of the cooked black beans and sweet potatoes and then carefully puree the rest of the soup in a blender. Add the reserved beans and potatoes back to the pot with the soup, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.
Bon Appetit Hon 